New in Crain’s Chicago Business: Health & Medicine’s Executive Director Margie Schaps explains how Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” will gut Medicaid and slash Medicare — with consequences for patients, providers, and entire communities.

Read the Op-Ed: www.chicagobusiness....

Text reads: Registration open! CONNECT learn organize IGNITE IL BIRTH JUSTICE SUMMIT SEPT 25 & 26 • CHICAGO. Also has the BMC logo and the Health & Medicine Policy Research Group logos

Join BMC & @hmprg.bsky.social for a powerful summit to connect & build a shared vision for birth justice in Illinois.

Sept. 25 welcomes all interested in shaping the future.

Sept. 26 is a private session for invited birth workers & stakeholders.

Register now: www.eventbrite.com/e/illinois-b...

🎓 Join us Aug 14 at 1PM for a virtual Lunch & Learn:
Helping Young Men of Color Thrive in Health Career Pathways

Hear from students + program leaders on what works, what doesn’t, and how we can build stronger support.

📧 mmcclintock@hmprg.org for the link.

#HealthEquity #YouthPathways

Illinois Birth Justice State Strategic Plan Summit Join us for a powerful gathering to shape the future of birth justice in Illinois!

Join us Sept 25 for the Illinois Birth Justice State Strategic Plan Summit 🗣️👶🏾
Hosted by HMPRG & the Black Midwifery Collective.
Day 1 is open to all; Day 2 is invite-only.
Register: www.eventbrite.com/e...

#BirthJustice #HealthEquity #ReproductiveJustice

🎂 Medicaid turns 60.
Still covering 70M+ people.
Still holding up the system.
Now facing the biggest cuts in its history.

This isn’t just policy. It’s people. It’s care. It’s survival.

#Medicaid60 #HealthJustice #ProtectMedicaid

Chicago deserves a strong public health system—one that’s fully funded, fully staffed, and ready to meet the moment.

Sign our letter calling for $52M in local investment in CDPH to advance health equity and protect our communities.

🔗 bit.ly/FundPublicHea...

#FundPublicHealth #HealthEquity

Celebrate health justice and community power with us.

Join Health & Medicine at the 2025 Awards Gala on Sept 17 at the Bridgeport Art Center—an evening of food, drinks, and recognition for those driving real change.

Tickets + sponsorships: cbo.io/app/public/bi...

#HealthEquity #HMPRG

Health & Medicine’s Mayra Diaz shared testimony on how disinformation and chronic underfunding are undermining public health—and what we can do about it.

Read the full remarks:
www.hmprg.org/senior...
#FundPublicHealth #HealthEquity #PublicHealth

📖 Chapter 8: Putting the Care Back in Health Care — our final chapter in Under the Skin.

What stuck with you most from Villarosa’s call to action?

Drop your thoughts below ⬇️ and stay tuned for our next book club pick.

#UnderTheSkin #BookClub #HealthEquity #CareNotCrisis

🌟 Join us Sept 17 for the 2025 Health & Medicine Awards Gala at the Bridgeport Art Center.

Support health equity, enjoy food from The Fat Shallot, and celebrate real changemakers. 🎉

🎟️ Tickets + sponsorships available now. cbo.io/app/public/bi...

#HealthEquity #FundPublicHealth #AwardsGala

Big turnout at City Hall 🎤✊ We joined allies to call for a Chicago budget that funds public health—not policing.

Margie Schaps put it plainly: “Investing in public health is investing in the vitality of our city.”

#FundPublicHealth #CareNotCops #PublicHealthIsSafety #ChicagoEquity

What does collective care look like in a newsroom?

Mayra Diaz spoke at #NAHJ2025 about how trauma impacts journalists—and how we can build spaces that protect truth and well-being.

#JournalismMatters #TraumaInformedCare

📢 Sign on now: We’re calling for a $52M increase to the Chicago Department of Public Health’s FY2026 budget.
Chicago needs more local investment to tackle chronic disease, trauma, maternal health inequities, and more.
Add your org: docs.google.com/form...

📚 Chapter 6 hits hard.

“Black Americans have long lived under tremendous emotional pressure...sanctioned by the government and embedded in the structures and institutions of society.”

What stood out to you in this chapter?
📖 Chapter 7 due next Friday
#UnderTheSkin #BookClub

BlueSky post (short):

📚 Chapter 5: Where You Live Matters reminds us that zip code can be more powerful than genetic code.

What stuck with you most from this chapter?

Read Chapter 6 by next Friday. Join us:
hmprg.bsky.social

Johnson Says It Is ‘Not Acceptable’ That CPD Overspent Its $2B Budget by $207M “No, it’s not acceptable,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “No one is going to agree that the overspending in this moment is something that we should accept or be OK with.”

Chicago needs investments in public health—not more policing budgets we can’t afford. We must prioritize community-based care and prevention, not a cycle of police overtime and legal settlements.

🔗 Read the full story here: news.wttw.com/2025/0...

#PublicHealthNotPolicing #HealthEquity

Youth Advisory Council members interviewed Dr. Symphony Fletcher 🎤 to explore mentorship, structural barriers, and community impact through clinical work.

Clips coming soon via @RAPID_IL collab! 🎥

#YouthVoices #HealthEquity #RAPIDIL #MentorshipMatters #PublicHealth

Excited to announce our 2025 Health & Medicine Award Winners!
Join us Sept 17 to celebrate their incredible work at our annual Gala—our only fundraiser of the year.

🎟 Tickets + bios: cbo.io/app/public/bi...

www.hmprg.org/meet-t...

#HealthEquity #HMPRGAwards #FundPublicHealth #HealthJustice

Health & Medicine joined advocates at the Chicago Budget Roundtable to demand $200M more for public health and safety in FY2026—fund services, not ghost cops.
Next roundtables:
🗓️ 6/30 (South Side)
🗓️ 7/1 (SW Side)
Join us: cloud.citynews.chica...
#FundPublicHealth #ChiBudget #HealthEquity

🧠 How did this chapter shift or deepen your understanding of mental health, stress, and systemic injustice?

Share your reflections below ⬇️ and let us know what resonated most.

📖 Up next: Read Chapter 5, Where You Live Matters, by Friday, July 4!

Chapter 4 gave us powerful testimony on the emotional and physical toll of navigating a racist healthcare system—and opened with this haunting poem.

💭 What did these words evoke for you?

📚 Under the Skin Book Club — Ch. 4 Reflection

“Have you ever died / while breathing / While standing vacant / Tsunami of tears / Flood in your brain”
— “Have You Ever” by U-Meleni

Indivisible Chicago Daily Actions — Indivisible Chicago Alliance Actions from Indivisible Chicago you can take every day to push back against the MAGA movement and fight for our progressive values

📢 Take action today — Wednesday, June 25!
Indivisible Chicago has today’s action steps ready for you. Every voice counts.

👉 Get the details: indivisiblechicago.c...

#TakeAction #IndivisibleChicago #CivicEngagement

‘People are going to die’: how Medicaid work requirements cost people their health insurance Those caring for relatives with severe disabilities say planned Republican cuts will be fatal for some

Trump’s plan guts Medicaid and strips coverage from millions.

📞 Tell your Senator: No cuts to Medicaid. Call 866-426-2631 to be connected.

www.theguardian.com/...

Republican senators’ proposed Medicaid cuts threaten to send red states ‘backwards’ Advocates fear Senate’s version of Trump’s budget bill could leave millions without healthcare and boost corporations

Senate Republicans are once again threatening Medicaid, with deep cuts, stricter work requirements, and policies that hurt families.

Tell your Senator: Don’t cut Medicaid.
📞 Call 866-426-2631 to be connected to your representative.

www.theguardian.com/...

Medicaid helps keep this toddler alive and at home. Federal cuts could put it all at risk. Marely requires 24/7 care after receiving a heart transplant covered by Medicaid. The U.S. Senate is considering slashing the program.

Every day, Medicaid is a lifeline for families like that of Marely Chavarria Santos — a young heart transplant recipient.

As the U.S. Senate weighs deep cuts to Medicaid, remember that real children and families would suffer immediate consequences.

chicago.suntimes.com...

📚 Chapter 3 of Under the Skin hit hard. This quote stuck with us:

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” — Goethe

What stood out to you? Drop a comment — we want to hear your reflections.

Reading Chapter 4 by next Friday. Join us:
hmprg.bsky.social

We’re proud to stand in solidarity for justice, freedom, and human rights—and to partner with Indivisible Chicago and so many others committed to building a better future. ✊

#PublicHealthIsPolitical #HealthJustice #CommunityPower #MarchForJustice
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This weekend, Health & Medicine staff showed up in force—from making signs to marching in downtown Chicago and Evanston alongside thousands of others.
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